BUDAPEST, Hungary

Hungary on Monday reported its first cases of the new omicron variant of coronavirus.

Speaking to Hungary's M1 TV channel, the Central European country's national chief medical officer, Cecilia Muller, said the strain was detected in two people.

While one patient was experiencing mild symptoms, the other was receiving hospital treatment, Muller said.

Hungarian Health Ministry recorded a total of 16,017 coronavirus cases over the last three days.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 5.3 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 270.33 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.